Even the worst slums could not stop the chess Queen of Katwe

Now in a new film directed by Mira Nair and starring Lupita Nyong’O and David Oyelowo, Queen of Katwe, written by Tom Crothers, covers Phiona, a young girl in one of the poorest parts of Africa, being tutored to excel in the game of Chess, even at first making a chess board by drawing in the sand and soil to teach her. The game is so foreign that the native language does not have a word for it. Close by, children queued for porridge but gradually got to enjoy partaking in playing chess.  By the age of eleven Phiona became the country’s first chess champion and by 15 the National champion. Now Phiona is a Woman’s Candidate Master – the first titled player in her country’s history. Before becoming a chess champion Phiona was inspired by the story of Gary Kasparov.  The book is published by Abacus and costs £8.99.  Look out for the film of the same name also.

This is Tim Crothers third book. Tim lives in Carolina USA with his wife and two children. The book includes tips from Phiona, some illustrations and teachings on life skills.   https://ethosmedia.org/QueenofKatwe/

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